Small House of Everything

Monday, April 10, 2017

INCOMING

John Appleyard, Pensacola: A City Under 6 Flags. Historical novel, covering the Pensacola from 1764 to 1920, through the eyes of the Hunter family. About this 2003 book: "This book is truly a community project. After reviewing the text content, the Escambia County* School System requested 3,000 copies for instructional use. Next, an arrangement was made for the net sales proceeds to go to the ongoing support of the Miracle Camp**, a recently inaugurated service for seriously ill children..Work to ready the book for publication was done by the professional staff of the John Appleyard Agency, whose founder was the author. Three organizations or individuals provided funding for the project, thus making possible the free distribution to the schools, and the income opportunity for the camp. Funding Sponsors: Erik Nickelsen, founder of Miracle Camp; Wachovia National Bank, whose officials strongly support community programs; Dick Appleyard and the John Appleyard Agency, Inc." At nearly 400 pages of heavy stock and loaded with historical photographs and prints, this vanity project appears to be fairly accurate historically. Not sure on the merits of the book itself, though.

Barbara D'Amato, Jeanne M. Dams, & Mark Zubro, Foolproof. 2009 Thriller. Personally affected by the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers, Brenda Grant and Daniel Henderson "establish a clandestine division that scours international Internet traffic for hints of terrorism. Days before the upcoming presidential election, the Cairo office transmits a coded warning. A short time later, one of Brenda's old friends makes an appointment to see her but is killed before she can keep it. As Brenda and Daniel investigate these events. they uncover a sophisticated plot to hijack the election. The plan employs cutting-edge electronic balloting software, involves the highest strata of the U.S. government, and threatens democracy worldwide." People trying to hijack American elections? Whoda thunk it?

Robert Ferrigno, Scavenger Hunt. Crime novel. Reporter Jimmy Gage meets Garrett Walsh, "a bad-boy moviemaker in the truest sense. He's just been released from prison after serving seven years for the murder of a teenaged girl. But Walsh claims he was framed and is writing a screenplay to prove it. He wants Jimmy to help him peddle it, sight unseen. The net time Jimmy sees the director, he's floating facedown in a koi pond and 'The Most Dangerous Screenplay in Hollywood' has disappeared..."

"J. R. Roberts" (Robert J. Randisi), The Gunsmith #90: Six-Gun Sideshow. Adult western. "A fine-looking young lady is brutally butchered before Clint Adams' eyes. Then some back-shootin' varmints start taking potshots at Buffalo Bill Cody, the West's proudest hero. The Gunsmith takes this insult right personal and figure on takin' their hides to a wall with some .45 caliber slugs." Randisi churned out this series with one (or more) books a month to an astounding 400 books while keeping the quality of the series high. That doesn't even count the hundred or so other books he has written of the thirty-some books he has anthologized. That man just seems to not know the meaning of "slow down," and we readers are the better for it.